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| You can't put a price tag on this much fun. |
Thinking of planning a trip around the world? It's really not that expensive and honestly worth however much money you spend. You can't put a price tag on the fun you'll have and the lifelong memories you'll make.
Now that we’ve been back for about a month, I’ve had some
time to analyze expenses incurred during our 268 day honeymoon and come up with
hopefully helpful information to others embarking on long-term travel. For
those of you not following our travels, we were married in Fiji last August and
immediately departed on a trip encompassing 20 countries and 100,000+
kilometers, finishing up at the end of April in Australia. This was our dream
honeymoon and therefore we had a much larger budget than we normally would have
given ourselves on this type of trip.
We’re now living on the Gold Coast and trying to fit back
into a normal everyday routine, all the while greatly missing our travels. Each
day we find ourselves looking at photos from our adventures and dreaming of our
next big trip, whenever/wherever that may be.
Below you’ll find a small list of basic expenses in US
dollars and averages per day when appropriate. These figures are based on two
of and include a brief explanation.
Lodging Cost:
$10,170.44
Average Per Day: $37.95
We booked and paid for our own lodging except when on an organized tour. When we booked our own lodging we stayed in at least three star properties except the infrequent night of camping. Lodging prices fluctuated based on the country we were located on with the most expensive being the Maldives and the cheapest being Cambodia. This cost doesn’t take into account fifteen nights we used on hotel points or the seven nights on a cruise. While on our road trip through Australia we only booked timeshare bonus weeks giving us super cheap and semi-decent accommodation. We could have easily reduced this number down by any number of ways including hostels, couch surfing, camping and not staying in pool villas, but it was our honeymoon.
Average Per Day: $37.95
We booked and paid for our own lodging except when on an organized tour. When we booked our own lodging we stayed in at least three star properties except the infrequent night of camping. Lodging prices fluctuated based on the country we were located on with the most expensive being the Maldives and the cheapest being Cambodia. This cost doesn’t take into account fifteen nights we used on hotel points or the seven nights on a cruise. While on our road trip through Australia we only booked timeshare bonus weeks giving us super cheap and semi-decent accommodation. We could have easily reduced this number down by any number of ways including hostels, couch surfing, camping and not staying in pool villas, but it was our honeymoon.
Food Cost:
$9540.43
Average Per Day: $35.60
Our second biggest expense was no surprise. We love to eat and thoroughly enjoyed trying the local cuisine in every country we visited. Some may be shocked this number is so high, especially considering we were travelling through relatively cheap countries, but like I said before, we love to eat. The high cost is mostly due to us not cooking for six straight months. We mainly ate two meals a day, with large breakfasts holding us over until dinner. Once we started our two month road trip we cooked most meals which greatly reduced our meal costs. It was money well spent except the $15 coffees from the Park Hyatt Paris. I’m still irked about that.
Average Per Day: $35.60
Our second biggest expense was no surprise. We love to eat and thoroughly enjoyed trying the local cuisine in every country we visited. Some may be shocked this number is so high, especially considering we were travelling through relatively cheap countries, but like I said before, we love to eat. The high cost is mostly due to us not cooking for six straight months. We mainly ate two meals a day, with large breakfasts holding us over until dinner. Once we started our two month road trip we cooked most meals which greatly reduced our meal costs. It was money well spent except the $15 coffees from the Park Hyatt Paris. I’m still irked about that.
Local
Transportation Cost: $2938.08
Average Per Day: $10.96
Definitely a big expense but also some of the most fun expenses. This category includes all types of local transportation but doesn’t include any air travel. Types of transportation included are: Train, Bus, Car, Taxi, Minivan, Boat, Ferry, Camel, Donkey, Tuk-Tuk (so many tuk-tuks), Horse and Carriage, Songthaew and many more. This also includes petrol and parking costs during our two month road trip through Australia. Surprisingly the most costly portion of our trip transportation wise was the petrol costs in Australia.
Average Per Day: $10.96
Definitely a big expense but also some of the most fun expenses. This category includes all types of local transportation but doesn’t include any air travel. Types of transportation included are: Train, Bus, Car, Taxi, Minivan, Boat, Ferry, Camel, Donkey, Tuk-Tuk (so many tuk-tuks), Horse and Carriage, Songthaew and many more. This also includes petrol and parking costs during our two month road trip through Australia. Surprisingly the most costly portion of our trip transportation wise was the petrol costs in Australia.
Souvenir Cost:
$1159.96
Average Per Day: $4.33
This number could and probably should have been quite a bit higher. Pamela is the shopper between the two of us and I gave her a bit too much grief over souvenirs. In retrospect, I would have much rather stayed in cheaper accommodation and bought more stuff to bring home and as gifts. In any case, we did get something from every country including magnets and stamps. The biggest problem we had was carrying the extra stuff. We had one bag each which was already full.
Average Per Day: $4.33
This number could and probably should have been quite a bit higher. Pamela is the shopper between the two of us and I gave her a bit too much grief over souvenirs. In retrospect, I would have much rather stayed in cheaper accommodation and bought more stuff to bring home and as gifts. In any case, we did get something from every country including magnets and stamps. The biggest problem we had was carrying the extra stuff. We had one bag each which was already full.
Tipping Cost:
$896.18
Average Per Day: $3.34
Tips for porters, guides, drivers, leaders etc are one of those expenses that I found hard to plan for. How much tipping we did depended greatly on the country we were in and whether or not we were on a tour. For the most part the tips were well earned so it’s all good. One thing to mention is that this number does not include tips for dining at restaurants as I calculated that as part of the food cost.
Average Per Day: $3.34
Tips for porters, guides, drivers, leaders etc are one of those expenses that I found hard to plan for. How much tipping we did depended greatly on the country we were in and whether or not we were on a tour. For the most part the tips were well earned so it’s all good. One thing to mention is that this number does not include tips for dining at restaurants as I calculated that as part of the food cost.
Visas and
Departure Tax: $732.71
Unfortunately there’s no getting around this expense if you want to travel to many countries. India was by far our most expensive (and biggest pain) Visa with Vietnam coming in a close second. Thankfully the only departure tax we had to pay was in Jordan when we left via ferry.
Unfortunately there’s no getting around this expense if you want to travel to many countries. India was by far our most expensive (and biggest pain) Visa with Vietnam coming in a close second. Thankfully the only departure tax we had to pay was in Jordan when we left via ferry.
Shipping: $205.73
With all the souvenirs comes shipping costs. We didn’t really spend that much with the bulk of this coming from one shipment to the US from Thailand and one shipment to Australia from Turkey. Unfortunately the only time we ever had anything stolen from our postage was shipping a small parcel something from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, otherwise the international postage was all good.
With all the souvenirs comes shipping costs. We didn’t really spend that much with the bulk of this coming from one shipment to the US from Thailand and one shipment to Australia from Turkey. Unfortunately the only time we ever had anything stolen from our postage was shipping a small parcel something from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, otherwise the international postage was all good.
ATM Cost: $135.62
Average Per Day .51 Cents
This is one of those nuisance expenses. We weighed the cost of carrying large amounts of currency around with us before the trip and decided it would be safer to just use ATMs when cash was required. When purchasing things we tried to use our credit card as much as possible as we have a card with no international transaction fees. We found the most expensive countries to withdraw money in were Thailand and Nepal with an average cost around $5 US dollars.
Average Per Day .51 Cents
This is one of those nuisance expenses. We weighed the cost of carrying large amounts of currency around with us before the trip and decided it would be safer to just use ATMs when cash was required. When purchasing things we tried to use our credit card as much as possible as we have a card with no international transaction fees. We found the most expensive countries to withdraw money in were Thailand and Nepal with an average cost around $5 US dollars.
Toilets: $18.82
Another nuisance expense but a necessity are costs to use the toilet. Thankfully many countries don’t charge for using the toilet. We accrued most of these costs in the Middle East. I think even looking at the WC in Turkey costs money, not to mention the constant allure of the tea.
Another nuisance expense but a necessity are costs to use the toilet. Thankfully many countries don’t charge for using the toilet. We accrued most of these costs in the Middle East. I think even looking at the WC in Turkey costs money, not to mention the constant allure of the tea.
I hope this article helps others planning a trip and we
always welcome your comments or questions. There are obviously other costs
associated with a trip of this magnitude and I hope to include some of those,
including insurance and medical costs, along with lessons learned, on a future
post.
Cheers for Now -
Pamela and Dave
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